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MV fishing guide: the 81st Derby, the shore spots everyone knows by name, charter prices, monthly calendar, tackle shops, and beginner tips.
Martha's Vineyard has some of the best saltwater fishing on the East Coast, and the Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby every fall is how most people first hear about it. Where Nantucket Sound, Vineyard Sound and the open Atlantic meet, the gamefish come within casting distance of shore.
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For five weeks every fall a good part of the island fishes the Derby, from shore and from boats, at dawn and after dark, all after the same three fish.
The 2026 Derby runs from September 13 (12:01 AM) to October 17 (9:00 PM). It was founded in 1946, draws 3,000+ anglers, and gives prizes from daily pins and cash up to the grand prize, a custom Jeep Gladiator Mojave X for the 81st running. The free Kid's Day was September 20 at the Oak Bluffs Ferry Wharf. Super Saturdays: false albacore on Saturday, Oct 3 and bonito on Saturday, Oct 10; the bluefish day was moved by the September nor'easter from Saturday, Sep 26 to Sunday, Oct 4. In 2026 the Derby gave $115,000 in scholarships to twelve island graduates, part of more than $1.1 million since 1988. By the last weigh-in on October 17, 2026 the 81st Derby had weighed 584 bluefish, 708 bonito and 158 false albacore, the Derby's website shows.
Striped bass have been out of the Derby since 2020, after a unanimous committee vote for conservation, and the 2026 rules list them as "Suspended for 2026 Derby." Three species count: bluefish (min 22"), bonito (min 21") and false albacore (min 25", limit 4 weigh-ins per registration). Registration: $70 adult, $45 senior (65 by opening day), $25 junior (9–14) and $25 mini-junior (4–8); the fly-rod division costs the same, and teams add $10 a member. Paying online is fine, but the badge has to be picked up in person before your first cast. Weigh-ins daily at Derby HQ, Dock Street, Edgartown: 8–10 AM and 7–9 PM. Spectators are welcome at both sessions. New for 2026, boat anglers may fish all of Buzzards Bay as well as the waters around the Vineyard and Nantucket; shore fish still have to come from the shores of the Vineyard or Chappaquiddick. Our Derby visitor's guide covers watching, casual entry and the awards ceremony.
The over-sand drive toward Chappaquiddick, from behind the wheel. The shore spots everyone knows by name are Norton Point, Wasque and the Menemsha jetties.
Lobsterville Beach / Dogfish Bar (Aquinnah): The state's Division of Marine Fisheries, which bought Dogfish Bar in 1996, says it is known for "unparalleled spring striped bass fishing" and "riveting fall false albacore fishing." The north-facing beach forms a natural bowl that collects baitfish on dropping tides as Menemsha Pond flushes sand eels and silversides. At Dogfish Bar, anglers wade far out onto sand flats at low tide, standing in ankle-deep water in the middle of Vineyard Sound. Night fishing is the draw: southwest wind provides a following cast while stripers feed in skinny water, bellies sliding along sand. Parking at West Basin and along Lobsterville Road is for cars with an Aquinnah resident permit where signed, so most visitors bike in; for Dogfish Bar itself, the state keeps five off-road parking spaces for shore anglers on unpaved Oxcart Road, off Lighthouse Road, and there is no roadside parking. From the Menemsha side, the bike ferry crosses the channel in season. During the Derby, Aquinnah also lets Derby anglers park along West Basin Road inside the marked lines, and in 2026 in the Philbin Beach lot from 5 PM to 8 AM. Every legal shore spot, with where to park, is in our shore fishing guide.
A center-console slides past a stone jetty while one angler fishes from the far end.
Wasque Point (Chappaquiddick): A strong tidal rip runs right along the beach, in what the state calls "the legendary Wasque Point surf-fishing waters." Guide Matt Malowski: "feasible and probable to achieve a grand slam (striped bass, bluefish, bonito, and false albacore) without moving more than a few yards." Walking or biking in has been free since 2025 (a Trustees decarbonization initiative). Parking a car costs $25 for non-members ($15 for Trustees Family members, free for Contributing members and OSV permit holders), charged Memorial Day to mid-October between 9 and 5; outside those hours there is no fee. An outgoing tide is the usual pick, and from 10 PM–5 AM the beach is for fishing only.
One big change for 2026: the Norton Point breach that opened on New Year's Day 2026 (already 502 feet wide a week later) cut the over-sand vehicle route from South Beach to Wasque, and the Trustees say Wasque itself is closed to over-sand vehicles because erosion has cut the route from Leland Beach. Their permit currently covers Cape Poge and Leland Beach only as far as the Jetties, plus free parking at Wasque, so this year the rip is a walk from the Wasque lot. The Chappy Ferry is the way across.
Cape Poge Gut: The narrow, fast inlet at the far end of the Cape Poge barrier beach, past the lighthouse, where powerful currents flush Cape Poge Bay; the Trustees say the moving water draws striped bass, bluefish, bonito and albacore. It is a long walk over soft sand from Dike Bridge, or a boat ride. On September 28, 2026 the Land Court barred Trustees permit holders from driving the trails north of Division Lot 1, the private land just north of Tom's Neck, while the case heads to a trial set for March 2027; walking and boat access are unaffected. An incoming tide is the usual pick.
Edgartown Lighthouse Beach: Good fishing within walking distance of downtown. The deep tidal channel at Edgartown Harbor funnels baitfish, concentrating false albacore September–October. It is a 10-15 minute walk north up North Water Street from Main Street. Access is free; the $10 MA saltwater permit still applies (every rule is in our fishing license and rules guide). The catch is the boat moorings, which hooked albies often wrap lines around.
Jaws Bridge (State Beach): The narrow channel between Nantucket Sound and Sengekontacket Pond funnels baitfish, creating a natural feeding station for albies and bonito. Clear water allows sight-casting to cruising pods. The peak is mid-September to mid-October. Access is free, and the VTA bus stops nearby. See our Jaws filming locations guide.
Other spots that fish well: Menemsha Jetty (fish 2 hours after tide change), Oak Bluffs Fishing Pier (built in 2014 to be accessible to everyone; the state says it fishes for scup from late spring and for albies and bonito in the fall, and it is the easiest first spot for kids), South Beach/Katama (Atlantic surf), the Lake Tashmoo inlet at Herring Creek Beach (the county notes the current in the channel can be quite strong, so the Oak Bluffs pier is the easier first try), Squibnocket (Chilmark sticker holders only from mid-June through Labor Day; Chilmark posts beach hours of 9 AM to 5 PM, and posted signs have the final word). At Herring Creek Beach, the town lot at the end of Herring Creek Road has been temporarily closed to cars since July 17, 2026 under the state's endangered species law, the Land Bank posted, so it is worth checking before you drive out; walkers and cyclists are welcome.
A stone jetty: half fishing spot, half front-row bench for boat traffic.
A rod leaned on a pier rail, rig hanging, jig and pliers on the boards.
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April–May: Schoolie stripers arrive mid-April, fresh from the Chesapeake with sea lice attached. South shore first (Wasque, Chappaquiddick). Larger fish follow in May. In a typical year the first bluefish show up in May. Squid migration provides excellent bait.
June–July: Peak striped bass, big fish on light tackle island-wide. Bonito usually arrive in mid to late summer; in 2026 they were slow to show and were biting all around the Cape and Islands by mid-August. False albacore don't arrive until late August, so June is not the month for albies. Bluefish vary a lot from year to year: in 2026 anglers reported mostly small "cocktail" blues and "a complete lack of gators" through July, until bigger fish moved into Nantucket Sound in August.
August: Bonito peak. False albacore arrive last week. Offshore charters run for bluefin and other tuna, some as far as Stellwagen Bank or east of Cape Cod; federal limits change during the season, and the trophy class (73 inches and up) is closed for the rest of 2026. Bluefish blitzes inshore along Gay Head shoals and Chappaquiddick.
September–October: the main event. The Derby starts Sep 13, and all four major species are around at once. Sand eels and silversides are thick, and blitzes (schools crashing bait with birds diving) come most often now. Historic Derby hotspots: Wasque (bluefish king), Lobsterville (bonito), Devil's Bridge (big fish by boat), West Chop (albies), Squibnocket (surf). Up-island has been quieter lately: in August 2026 the Derby committee chair said the old Derby grounds off Aquinnah, Squibnocket and Nomans Temporarily closed Closed for the season; back in 2027, per its own site "have been much slower in recent years."
November–December: Tautog peaks on wrecks and rockpiles. Late-season stripers can be the largest: big cows on their final southward push. Salt ponds hold holdover fish. It is cold and windy, a season for the diehards.
Commercial boats rafted together, the Lady M of Menemsha among them, gear stacked and nets wound on the drums.
MV Skipper (Oak Bluffs Harbor, Slip 74): a wooden party boat built in 1941 that the Vineyard Gazette has called the oldest operating wooden party fishing boat in the country; Capt. John Potter has owned her since 1987. $100 a person on the boat's own page (last updated August 2025), 4 hours, gear, bait and licenses included. Two trips a day in summer (8 to noon and 1 to 5) and one in spring and fall (9 to 1); the boat has not posted when its 2026 season ends, so a call before an October trip is worth it. It is the only walk-on party boat on the island, and no experience is needed. (508) 693-1238.
What a charter boat looks like at the dock: a Yellowfin center-console with a light bar and outriggers on the hardtop, and a banner underneath listing inshore, offshore, canyon and sunset trips. Oak Bluffs harbor has several of these tied up a few steps from Lake Avenue.
Menemsha Charters: Tomahawk (Capt. Buddy Vanderhoop, Wampanoag, 30+ years) half-day $800 plus a $100 fuel surcharge, full-day $1,600, bluefin $2,250. North Shore Charters (Capt. Scott McDowell, Lauren C): $850 half day, $1,650 full day, up to six. Captain Clarke Charters (Capt. Jennifer Clarke, Femme Fatale, at the Menemsha charter dock): $750 half day, $1,500 full day, and offshore day trips for bluefin and other big game from $2,000 (up to five).
Edgartown: Local Tide Charters 32' Regulator $850 or 17' flats skiff $550.
Lake Tashmoo: Vineyard Boat Charters (Capt. John Hobby) runs short family bottom-fishing trips in summer; call the captain for this year's price.
A center-console clearing the jetty, rods up.
A lily-pad pond: fresh water, and a quiet place to cast for bass and pickerel. The striper water is the brackish great ponds on the south shore and the flats at dawn.
Kismet Outfitters (204 Upper Main St, Edgartown) is the island's fly-fishing shop. Owned and run by Captain Abbie Schuster, it carries Sage and Thomas and Thomas rods, Cheeky reels and RIO lines among other brands, and runs shore and wading trips (with Chappaquiddick beach permits), boat trips, paddleboard fly fishing and casting lessons. Half day from shore $475, half day by boat $600 (full days $800 and $1,100); Thomas and Thomas fly rods rent for $50 a day. Open daily 9–6. (774) 549-5921.
Anglers set up at the end of a rock jetty in Oak Bluffs in the evening light.
The Lobsterville/Dogfish Bar complex is where the island's fly fishing is centered. An 8- to 9-weight rod with intermediate sinking line is standard. Patterns that work: Clouser Minnows (olive/tan, sizes 4–6), sand eel imitations, black Deceivers (good at night) and poppers for topwater. The technique is a slow, casually twitched retrieve with pauses; many hits come as the fly swings in the current.
MA Saltwater Permit: $10 (ages 16–59), free 60+. You can buy it online through the state's MassFishHunt site, linked from mass.gov/how-to/get-a-recreational-saltwater-fishing-permit, in a few minutes. Charter passengers are exempt (the vessel's permit covers you). Valid through Dec 31, no prorating.
With no gear and no plan, a half-day charter out of Menemsha is the easy start, with someone who knows the water.
Surf casting basics: Fishing from shore with a long rod, no boat needed. Starter gear: 9-foot medium-heavy spinning rod, 4000–6000 size reel, 20–30 lb braid with fluorocarbon leader, a few poppers and bucktails, about $150–300 in all. A guided half day from shore runs about $475 (Kismet Outfitters' rate, above).
A tackle shop is a good first stop, and fifteen minutes there teaches more than any gear does. Coop's Bait and Tackle (147 W. Tisbury Rd, Edgartown; 508-627-3909): Cooper "Coop" Gilkes's shop has been sharing fishing advice since 1985, carries fresh and frozen bait including eels and squid, and rents rods and tackle boxes. Larry's Tackle (258 Upper Main St, Edgartown): since 1947, known for its service, with an interactive fishing spot map on its website. Dick's Bait and Tackle (108 New York Ave, OB): since 1969, and one of the Derby's registration points.
Striped bass: one fish a day, 28 inches to less than 31 inches, measured straight with the tail squeezed; inline circle hooks required with whole or cut natural bait; no gaffs, stringers or live wells, and a dead legal-size bass may not be thrown back. No changes for 2026. Bluefish: 5 fish (shore/private), 7 (for-hire), increased for 2026. Bonito + false albacore: 5 fish combined, 16" minimum measured along the curve to the fork of the tail (new in 2025). Bluefin tuna: Separate NOAA HMS Angling permit ($24 application fee at hmspermits.noaa.gov), roughly the 27–73 inch class; vessel bag limits shift in-season, so check current NOAA retention rules before you go.
4WD beach permits: Trustees season permits were $250 ("Cape Poge & Wasque") and $380 ("All Over") for 2025–26; 2026–27 permits are sold online after a required training video and picked up at the Mytoi gatehouse. Despite the name, the Cape Poge & Wasque permit does not currently let you drive onto Wasque, and driving on Cape Poge stops at the Jetties. Norton Point (county-owned, run by Edgartown since 2023): stickers were $90 for residents and $140 for others when the town took over, and they are sold through the town's online permit portal. The town currently lists it open to vehicles daily from 9 AM until dark. Shorebird rope-offs run April 1 to August 31, and in 2026 it closed to vehicles from June 20 for nesting birds. With the 2026 Norton Point breach there is no over-sand vehicle route to Wasque right now (see Wasque above), so confirm access with the Trustees before buying.
Getting here is in our ferry guide, rooms during the Derby in where to stay, and the quieter months in the off-season guide.
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Step 1 · WhenMonth PickerTwelve months compared on NOAA numbers, crowds, prices and what is open. 
Step 2 · DaysDay-by-Day Trip PlannerMorning, afternoon and evening sketched for every day, events dropped in, emailed to you. 
Step 3 · CostTrip Cost CalculatorFerry, beds with the rooms tax, meals, getting around and activities in one price range. September 13 at 12:01 AM to October 17 at 9 PM, 2026, the 81st running. Founded in 1946, it draws more than 3,000 anglers, with prizes from daily pins and cash up to the grand prize, a custom Jeep Gladiator Mojave X.
No. Striped bass were removed in 2020 by unanimous committee vote for conservation. The three eligible species are bluefish (minimum 22 inches), bonito (21 inches) and false albacore (25 inches, four weigh-ins per registration).
$70 for adults, $45 for seniors who are 65 by opening day, $25 for juniors 9 to 14 and mini-juniors 4 to 8. The badge has to be picked up in person before you fish. Weigh-ins are at Derby headquarters on Dock Street in Edgartown, 8 to 10 in the morning and 7 to 9 at night, and spectators are welcome.
Lobsterville Beach and Dogfish Bar in Aquinnah, with night fishing on a southwest wind (the state calls Dogfish Bar's spring striped bass fishing "unparalleled"); and Wasque Point on Chappaquiddick, where a strong rip runs right along the beach and a local guide has written that a grand slam is possible without moving more than a few yards.
On foot or by bike, yes, since 2025. Parking a car is $25 for non-members between 9 and 5 from Memorial Day to mid-October (less or free for Trustees members and OSV permit holders), and free outside those hours. Up-island, parking at Lobsterville and West Basin is for cars with an Aquinnah resident permit where signed, so most visitors bike in or take the Menemsha bike ferry across in season; Dogfish Bar has five state parking spaces for shore anglers on Oxcart Road.
Island tip of the day Timing No. 58 of 79 New tip at midnight, island time
Oak Bluffs restaurants are packed 6–8 PM. Eat at 5 PM or after 8:30 PM: same food, half the wait, easier parking.
Where to learn to sail on Martha's Vineyard, checked October 2026: Sail Martha's Vineyard's summer classes on Lagoon Pond, private lessons for adults, Sunfish rentals in Vineyard Haven and Menemsha, schooner and catboat sails, summer races you can watch or crew, and what the wind and currents are like.
Shellfishing on Martha's Vineyard town by town: what each of the six towns charges a visitor for a permit and what it covers, where to buy it, weekly limits and sizes, the 2026 to 2027 bay scallop dates published so far, how to check storm and rain closures, and keeping the catch safe to eat.
Every rule a visiting angler needs on Martha's Vineyard, checked October 2, 2026: who needs the $10 Massachusetts saltwater permit, freshwater and tuna permits, 2026 size and bag limits by species, what you can keep this month, the Derby, beach-driving permits, pier rules and Aquinnah parking.
Martha's Vineyard shore fishing spot by spot: the Oak Bluffs pier, Memorial Wharf, State Beach, Menemsha, Lobsterville, Dogfish Bar, Squibnocket, Lambert's Cove, Tashmoo, Cape Poge, Wasque, Norton Point and South Beach, with legal parking, resident-only rules, hazards and a monthly calendar.
Complete kayak guide to Martha's Vineyard: 10 launch sites, 10 routes, 5 rental operators, shark safety, tidal current warnings and scalloping tips.
No whale boats leave MV, but Stellwagen Bank is a ferry ride away. Provincetown and Barnstable options, 99%+ sighting rates, and day trip logistics.
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